Computational Complexity and other fun stuff in math and computer science from Lance Fortnow and Bill Gasarch

Monday, April 25, 2005

scIenCE Princess

My daughters saw the movie Ice Princess over the
weekend. Based on
what they told me here is the basic story: Casey
decides to do a science project on figure skating and uses physics and
computers to help some skaters improve their routines. Casey's mom is really
pushing her to science and sets up an interview for an academic
scholarship to Harvard (Note to Hollywood: Ivy League rules prohibit
academic scholarships). But Casey falls in love with figure skating
and goes against her mother, says no to Harvard and follows
her new dream of skating.

I have nothing against "follow your dream" movies and Ice
Princess does put science and computers in a good light, at least in
the early part of the movie. But just once can't we have a movie where a
young woman whose parents want her to be a great figure skater,
gymnast or tennis player but instead she follows her dream of becoming a
scientist.

11 comments:

The irony of course is that the number of controlling mothers pushing their daughters to be figure skaters must outnumber the number of controlling mothers pushing their daughters to be scientists by a ratio of at least 10 to 1.

There was a recent article in salon magazine about Hollywood selling a "princess" message to girls. To me the article sounded a bit far fetched... until a few days later, when letters from grown up female readers starting arriving confirming the take of the writer. Sounds like this movie continues this tradition, down to the title.

Something to think about before letting your daughter watch "The little mermaid", "Pocahontas" or "Aladdin" one more time...

October Sky is a great movie which shows kids going for (rocket) science rather than mining which their parents want. Maybe the reason is that it is supposed to be based on real life.Doesn't have a girl as the main character though.

It is weird that suddenly a feminist issue pops out of no where. And you feminists please note, I am a woman myself. But there is a limit to how convoluted one can think!!! Relax. Nobody is undermining women here when this movie is being discussed.

In 50's B-movies about space aliens or general monsters there would often be a female scientist. She'd twist her ankle in a dire situation to be saved by the male lead (who's smoking a cigarette and drinking a martini at the same time). She'd also have a theory about the terror's origin, and, more importantly, sexually attract the monster (and marry the guy later).